Saudi Arabia vows to “hunt down anyone involved in this terrorist crime carried out by people seeking to undermine national unity”

AFP
Riyadh


An Islamic State (IS) group suicide bomber attacked a mosque in Saudi Arabia yesterday, killing and wounding several people.
The bomber struck during the main weekly prayers in Eastern Province.
The interior ministry said a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at the mosque in the predominantly Shia village of Kudeih, in the region of Qatif.
“An individual detonated a bomb he was wearing under his clothes during Friday prayers at Ali Ibn Abi Taleb mosque in Kudeih in Qatif,” an interior ministry spokesman said in a statement carried by the official SPA news agency.   
He did not give a specific casualty toll, only that several people were killed and wounded.
Saudi-owned broadcaster Al Arabiya,  however, reported that 22 people were killed and 75 wounded when the bomber blew himself up in the mosque.
In a statement published online, IS said it was behind the attack. It named the bomber as Abu Amer al-Najdi and included a picture of him.
The statement - the first time the group had officially claimed an attack in Saudi Arabia - said the suicide bomber “detonated an explosives belt” in the mosque.
News websites in eastern Saudi Arabia posted photographs of bodies lying in pools of blood.
Qatif hospital issued an urgent call for blood donations and called in off-duty staff to cope with the high number of casualties.
The mufti of Saudi Arabia, the highest-ranking Sunni cleric, denounced the attack.
“It is a criminal act aimed at dividing the sons of the nation... and at sowing trouble in our country,” he said on state television.
The interior ministry spokesman said Saudi Arabia would “hunt down anyone involved in this terrorist crime carried out by people seeking to undermine national unity”.
The website of Arryadh newspaper posted pictures showing bloodied prayer rugs and part of the ceiling of the mosque that had caved in.
Last November, gunmen killed seven Shias, including children, in the town of Al-Dalwa in Eastern Province.
Four men carried out the attack after killing a person from a neighbouring village and stealing his car to use in the shootings, the interior ministry said.
It said the assailants had links with IS.
In April, authorities said they arrested 93 extremists, including 62 suspected of links to IS who were plotting attacks to “incite sectarian sedition”.
The White House condemned the suicide bombing.
We “mourn the loss of life and condemn this violence”, said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. “All of the victims were Muslims. That is unfortunately all too common.”
The White House said it was not ready to confirm whether that IS claim was legitimate.
“The attribution - the determination about who is responsible - is something that is still under review,” said Earnest.
Iran also denounced the suicide bombing. The official Irna news agency quoted foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham as “vigorously condemning” the attack.
“The fight against terrorist and extremist groups... must be a priority for all countries,” she said.
From Islamabad, Pakistani Minister Nawaz Sharif sent condolences to families of the victims and said in a statement “terrorists are enemies of humanity which also bring a bad name to Islam”.


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